The present invention relates to a system for electronic injection control of water or an aqueous solution into an internal combustion engine with spark ignition and with electronic controls in which the injection rate is proportional to the engine speed and engine load.
The discharge of exhaust gases into the atmosphere by the ever-increasing number of motor vehicles in use today has significantly contributed to the contamination of our atmosphere and to the welfare of the general public. Accordingly, the federal government proposed pollution abatement legislation to at least minimize contamination of our environment.
In an effort to comply with such laws and to reduce pollution from motor vehicles, many anti-pollution devices have been developed to control the exhaust emissions. While many of these recently developed anti-pollution devices have reduced pollution to some extent, they are relatively expensive and require use of a specific kind of fuel to keep these anti-pollution devices from early deterioration and replacement thereof, adding to the cost of motor vehicle maintenance.
Also, the federal government has proposed that more efficient vehicles be produced in order to attain a 15% reduction of fuel consumption. Many methods have been tried such as adding carburetion water injection, regenerative steam or vapor into the intake air, fluids pumped directly into the engine or intake air humidifiers in which air is passed through a volume of water before being introduced into the engine have proved unsuitable for all engine speeds. These devices suffer from additional problems, since they are usually operated solely in response to engine speed, directly by the exhaust gases from the engine, or either directly or indirectly in response to engine intake manifold pressure. Although these techniques result in a fluid injection rate that may be adequate under certain engine operating conditions, such as a constant speed cruise condition, the injection rate is inadequate during other engine operating conditions such as acceleration and deceleration. When the fluid injection rate is insufficient, the beneficial effects of the fluid are not obtained. Conversely, when the fluid injection rate is too high, the surplus fluid within the combustion chamber tends to quench the combustion process and diminish engine performance. Thus, there exists a need for a fluid injection system that enhances performance of an internal combustion engine across a variety of operating conditions.
The present invention provides a system for injecting a fluid, such as water or an aqueous solution, into the air intake side of an internal combustion engine in response to the flow of air. An electronic injector introduces water or an aqueous solution to obtain a precise ratio of the injected fluid to the injected fuel.